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Warner Bros. Pictures
Not part of a collection.
It's a pleasure to have your home wrecked by a man like him.
A former government agent in France, who has failed at an assignment and been disavowed, is deported back to the USA, where he can only find work at a low-rent detective agency. He soon gets involved with a woman with ties to a crooked gambling club owner, who is a client of his agency.
CinemaSerf
Dec 3, 2022 · via TMDB
They used to say that in the end, Samuel Goldwyn couldn't get arrested in Hollywood. Well the same is true here for "Donald Free" (William Powell). His government career went down in flames and now he can't get a job for love nor money. Until, that is, he alights on the dodgy "Peerless" detective agency where he is charged with a frame-up of "Janet" (Margaret Lindsay) who has fallen foul of a gambler who is the man behind the cheques at his new employer. What nobody (except the audience, that is) predicts though, is that the two will begin to fall for each other and his task becomes not only more difficult, but downright perilous. It's quite a fun, and quirkily plotted, thriller this with a degree of chemistry on screen and just enough wriggle-room with the story to keep it interesting for an hour. By now the studio was quite adept at eking out the budget and the aesthetic of the film works quite well too, before a lively ending that offers no surprises but entertains well enough for a standard, afternoon B-feature.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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William Powell
Donald Free
Margaret Lindsay
Janet Reynolds
Arthur Hohl
Dan Hogan
Ruth Donnelly
Amy Moran
Gordon Westcott
Tony Bandor
Natalie Moorhead
Helen Burns
James Bell
Whitey
Hobart Cavanaugh
Harcourt S. Burns
Irving Bacon
Cab Driver
Arthur Byron
Tracey (Uncredited)
Heinie Conklin
Bartender (Uncredited)
Eddie Dunn
Club Doorman (Uncredited)
Charles Lane
Process Server (Uncredited)
Eddie Phillips
Mrs. Wright's Paramour (Uncredited)
Georges Renavent
Ship's Captain Henri LaFarge (Uncredited)
Sheila Terry
Mrs. Wright (Uncredited)
Charles Cahill Wilson
Club Bartender (Uncredited)
Toby Wing
Free's Lady Friend (Uncredited)
Joan Barclay
Gambler (Uncredited)
Bill Elliott
Man at Roulette Table (Uncredited)
Theresa Harris
Janet's Maid (Uncredited)
Rolfe Sedan
Casino Man (Uncredited)
Joan Standing
Client with Free (Uncredited)
Ellinor Vanderveer
Woman in Speakeasy (Uncredited)
Renee Whitney
Alice (Uncredited)
Pat Wing
Secretary (Uncredited)
Loretta Andrews
Speakeasy Patron (uncredited)
William Irving
Drunk (uncredited)
Tony Gaudio
Director of Photography
Orry-Kelly
Costume Design
Michael Curtiz
Director
Hal B. Wallis
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Anna's Eve
2004
Alondra Underground
2020
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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